Intelsat will purchase the Commercial Aviation business from Gogo for a “headline” price of $400 million. Intelsat’s attorney’s announced the deal as part of a hearing at the US Bankruptcy Court this afternoon.
United drops change fees. Forever.
United Airlines is ready to change. Or, perhaps more accurately, the company is ready for passengers to change their plans more often. In a major policy shift the carrier will no longer charge travelers a fee to change their booking on most domestic tickets. And, unlike the temporary waiver of this fee in place over recent months, this change is set to last forever.
SkyFive makes major 5G inflight connectivity progress in China
SkyFive is betting big on inflight connectivity in China. The upstart air-to-ground (ATG) network infrastructure provider recently announced a Strategic Technology Partnership with Airbus. The partnership also includes China Mobile as the local mobile telecom provider.
Amazon Prime Air drones secure FAA exemption
Amazon’s Prime Air drone delivery plans scored a boost on Thursday. The Federal Aviation Administration approved an exemption allowing the company to move forward with operations while working towards formal certification of the MK27 UA aircraft and the airline operations. The approval comes with significant limits, but allows the company to continue development of the platform and supports progress towards the necessary certifications.
Recaro, WizzAir partner for massive seating order
The biggest commercial aircraft order in history begat the biggest airline seating order in history. Recaro will supply nearly 100,000 of its SL3710 seats to Indigo Partners airlines, with Wizz Air up first starting next year.
Intelsat emerges as leading contender for Gogo’s Commercial Aviation business
We could learn the fate of Gogo’s Commercial Aviation (CA) business by the end of the month, assuming some details in a recent Intelsat bankruptcy filing play out. The latter filed for approval to increase its Debtor-in-Possession (DIP) funding as part of a transaction it hopes to consummate by 31 August.
ETOPS challenges hamper Surinam Airways’ 777 launch
ETOPS certification challenges could see Surinam Airways flying hours out of the way if it presses its 777 into service next month as planned.
Virgin Galactic looking beyond space for profits
Virgin Galactic is keen to bring intrepid travelers into space on its SpaceShipTwo vehicle, but the company is also looking at alternative revenue sources. Among them, renting out the WhiteKnightTwo (WK2) launch support aircraft for government or private businesses to use for science, research, and national security applications. There’s just one problem: Legally it cannot do that.
Gogo tops 1,000 install milestone for AVANCE L5 biz jet wifi solution
Less than three years after the product first took flight, Gogo’s business aviation division reached the 1,000 units installed milestone on its AVANCE L5 inflight wifi connectivity solution. More than 325,000 flights have operated with the system installed since Q4 2017 when the upgraded ATG wifi system became available.
AirAsia pivots away from its airline roots
“We have successfully pivoted from an airline to an all-in-one digital lifestyle company anchored on travel.” This was the key message delivered by AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes as part of the company’s Q2 financial results that showed a 96% drop in quarterly revenue. Airline-related revenue dropped 98% while non-airline revenue, a much smaller portion of the company’s operations, dipped only 55%.